Castellitto's performance is the strong center of this surreal, fascinating film about a man's questioning of his religious beliefs and his relation to his mother. Read critic reviews
The Religion Hour (My Mother's Smile)
2002, Drama, 1h 43m
25 Reviews 500+ RatingsWhat to know
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The Religion Hour (My Mother's Smile) Photos
Movie Info
Years after his mother's death, artist Ernesto (Sergio Castellitto) learns of his family's initiative to get her canonized when he's invited for an interview with a cardinal (Maurizio Donadoni). The impending appointment stirs up complex feelings toward religion -- his mentally ill brother killed their mother because of her extreme pious ways. Slowly, he uncovers his family's self-serving motivations for beatification, while his son, Leonardo (Alberto Mondini), explores Roman Catholicism.
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Genre: Drama
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Original Language: Italian
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Director: Marco Bellocchio
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Producer: Sergio Pelone
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Writer: Marco Bellocchio
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Release Date (Theaters): wide
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Box Office (Gross USA): $40.2K
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Runtime:
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Distributor: New Yorker Films
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Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, DTS, Dolby SR
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Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.66:1)
Cast & Crew
Critic Reviews for The Religion Hour (My Mother's Smile)
Audience Reviews for The Religion Hour (My Mother's Smile)
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[font=Century Gothic]In "My Mother's Smile", Ernesto(Sergio Castellitto, who is superb), an artist, is dumbstruck when he is approached one day with the news that his mother is in the final stages of being nominated for sainthood by the Vatican and is asked to testify. This only causes old wounds to be reopened since his mother was killed some years before by his mentally ill brother. Making matters even worse, this is a campaign that has been waged for three years and this is the first that Ernesto is hearing of it.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]Further putting Ernesto's [/font][font=Century Gothic]atheism to the test, is his 7-year old son, Leonardo(Alberto Mondini), having been taught some very mature theories on the nature of life and death by his religious teacher. Ernesto goes to his school to confront her...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]Written and directed by Marco Bellocchio, "My Mother's Smile" is a provocative and elegant movie about how religion attempts to twist the mundane into the supernatural for its own purposes, aided by the hypocrisy of those who seek to benefit. And through Ernesto, the movie has the perfect vessel to comment on how status is applied in society.[/font]
walter m Super Reviewer
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